


A Boy and His Dog

by orphan_account



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-11
Updated: 2014-07-23
Packaged: 2018-01-04 09:31:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1079363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Wait." Ichigo held up a hand. "I just want to make sure--I'm not going to grow a tail or anything, right?" AU. In which Komamura is the one to give Ichigo his shinigami powers. Written for Love Psycho's Bleach Challenge #1.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. part the first

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt inspired by Love Psycho's Bleach Challenge #1 from her profile page (Fanfiction.net). The gist of it: someone else comes to Karakura Town and gives Ichigo his shinigami powers. I picked Komamura 'cause he's fluffy.
> 
> This is more of an extended one-shot that skims through all the relevant plot points, since I'd take forever with an actual story. It's drama, adventure, and angst all flavored with a dash of crack, so…read with a grain of salt.
> 
> For other examples, there's Ch. 22 of And Now For Something Completely Different,by Kyrial Halcoryn, which features Mayuri Kurotsuchi, or Bleach Reloaded,by Darth Stitch, which uses Byakuya (it's rated slash, though!). Or even better, join the party and write one yourself. You know you want to. :)
> 
> -ooo-
> 
> WARNING: There be scene breaks. Lots and lots of scene breaks. And spoilers for the recent Bleach manga chapters, but that's a given.

Sajin Komamura felt his shoulders relax as the Senkaimon closed behind him. He'd successfully set foot in the Living World for the first time since his promotion to captain in the Gotei 13.

It had been a good idea, offering to take over for that 13th division officer—what was her name? Rika or Ruri, something like that. She was the adopted sister of Captain Kuchiki, that much he remembered. Ukitake had suddenly fallen ill to one of his attacks, and the Kuchiki girl had a better head on her shoulders than those two chatty Third Seats—it'd be better if she stayed back to oversee things with them.

Of course, his lieutenant had suggested other officers, and even offered to go in his place—it was too  _menial_ for a captain to just do customary Hollow patrols, after all—but Komamura had declined. Things had been too quiet lately in Soul Society—which meant most of the shinigami had more free time to focus on less important matters—like him.

One of Soul Society's greatest secrets was Captain Komamura's appearance beneath his mask. During the past few weeks, he'd had to dodge increasingly creative pranks aimed at his helmet. That wasn't unusual—countless shinigami had tried to unmask him during his tenure in the Gotei 13, without luck—but the sheer quantity was starting to wear on him.

He wasn't petty enough to report them, seeing it as harmless fun—and logically speaking, trying to sneak up on a captain  _was_ good training for the rookies. The more stubborn ones backed off as soon as he spiked his  _reiatsu,_ or got rebuffed by shinigami in his own division—but Komamura's patience was wearing thin. Just yesterday he'd overheard some drunk officers in the Eleventh making bets on who would be first to challenge him in battle and knock off his helmet.

So when Komamura saw Rukia Kuchiki frantically running off to fetch Captain Unohana, hours before she was scheduled to enter the Senkaimon, it was only natural that he'd offer to pick up her slack. Of course the girl had refused, but Komamura's mixture of polite stubbornness and sheer force of will finally cemented matters in his favor. He'd even manage to work in an official clearance.

Breathing in the scent of dew-covered grass and sleeping flowers, Komamura took his first steps in a park in Karakura Town at 2:00AM.

xxx

Ichigo's day had started out pretty normal—avoid Isshin's flying kick, go to school, greet the ghost girl haunting the street corner, beat up the thugs that kicked over her flowers, etc.—but now things were downright  _weird._ He was just sitting on his bed when a giant dressed in flowing robes and  _freakin' metal armor_ phased through his wall and started clanking around his room.

Had the intruder been smaller, Ichigo would have kicked them and demanded an explanation, but seeing as how the guy's head was still scraping the ceiling when he was bending over…

"Uh…can I help you with something?"

The helmet dude ignored him. Ichigo ran an exasperated hand through his hair, stood on his bed, and reached up to tap the guy on the shoulder.

"Hey."

One second later, he was on his back with a very real-looking sword pressing against his throat.

"Whoa there! I just wanted to talk!"

Peering up, Ichigo thought he could make out a glint of amber irises in the slit of the helmet and grimaced.  _'What the heck's up with this guy? He's definitely not human…'_

"…just a boy," the intruder muttered in a low growl. "But still…you can see me?"

Ichigo scowled. "Yeah. What of it?"

"Most unusual…what is your name?"

His scowl deepened. "Mind getting your sword off me first?"

The giant complied, and Ichigo sat up, cricking his neck. "Thanks."

"Your name?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki. And you?"

"Seventh Division Captain Sajin Komamura."

"What the heck's that supposed to mean?"

"You can see me, yet you do not know of Soul Society?"

"That some new cosplay club or something?"

"No. We are…" Komamura paused to find the right words, "…an organization. Created by shinigami, dedicated to upholding the balance between the dead and living worlds."

"What."

"I said, Soul Society is—"

"I heard you the first time," Ichigo cut in. "But I don't believe it. It sounds like some kid's story."

Komamura bristled. "You say this even though you can see me?"

Ichigo shifted uncomfortably. "It's not like it's anything special. I mean, you're probably a ghost or something, right?"  _'Not that I've ever seen one nine feet tall, but still…'_

"I am a shinigami, young Kurosaki," Komamura intoned. "And that—"

He stopped as the door to Ichigo's room banged open, revealing an all-too-cheerful Isshin.

"What's that, son? You called for me?"

Ichigo grimaced, remembering how they'd fought at dinner because he came home after curfew. "Old man, can't you see I'm talking to someone else?"

"Hmm?" Isshin took one look around Ichigo's room, completely missing the giant figure that had frozen in shock, before turning back to his son. "What do you mean? There's no one here."

"He's right next to me!" Ichigo insisted, pointing at Komamura.

Isshin just put on a goofy grin. "Right, son. I believe you." And then proceeded to bellow to the entire house. "MASAKI! OUR BELOVED SON IS IGNORING ME IN FAVOR OF HIS IMAGINARY FRIENDS! BUT IT'S ALL RIGHT! AS HIS FATHER, I WILL SUPPORT— _oof!"_

The door slammed in his face and Isshin hobbled tearfully down the hall, crying for Yuzu to help her precious daddy fix his nose. Ichigo sighed and turned to Komamura. "Yeah, my dad can't see you, so you're pretty much a confirmed ghost."

Komamura, on the other hand, was distracted by a prickling sense of recognition. "Who is your father?"

"Isshin Kurosaki. He's a doctor. Why?"

"He seems familiar." Behind his helmet, Komamura frowned.  _'The surname is wrong, but Isshin…yes, the Gotei 13 had a captain by that name, twenty years ago. But that's impossible, isn't it? This man is alive, and he can't even see spirits…it must be a coincidence.'_

And then there was a crash, and Komamura finally sensed the Hollow he'd been tracking for half the day outside Ichigo's window.

xxx

Ichigo cursed as he worked his way from under the rubble. The monstrous whatever-it-was had taken a chunk of the building with him to fight back against his armored captain buddy, catching Ichigo in the chaos.

' _At least Yuzu's outta his grip,'_ he thought distractedly, glancing back at the bodies of his sisters and father sprawled unconscious on the ground.  _'Dang it…'_

There was a sickening crunch as the monster slammed Komamura against a wall, shattering his helmet. Ichigo blinked as Komamura snarled and bit down on the creature with his fangs—

' _Holy crap, he's…furry?!'_

xxx

"Wait." Ichigo held up a hand.

"We don't have all day!" Komamura growled, a bloody paw gripping the hilt of his zanpakuto.

"I just want to make sure—I'm not gonna grow a tail or anything, right?"

"Boy, that's the  _least_ of your worries now!"

"All right, then. As long as we're— _urrgk!"_

xxx

In the aftermath of the Hollow attack, a weakened Komamura in wolf form surveyed the rubble as he checked on his charge.

' _You did well, young Kurosaki,'_ he thought.  _'But to have taken all of my powers…'_

What was he supposed to do now?

Then, footsteps. Komamura tensed as a figure emerged from the shadows, dressed in a striped robe and hat and holding a cane in one hand.

"Captain Komamura now, is it? Pleased to make your acquaintance. I don't believe we've ever talked face-to-face!"

"You are…?"

"Just a humble shopkeeper! But I may have something of use for you!"

And he held up a dog biscuit. Komamura snarled and charged, only to have a black cat beat him to the punch and riddle the man's faces with scratches.

"Idiot! Now's not the time for jokes!"

"I wasn't joking! If he's going to use  _that_ gigai, the humans will probably treat him like—"

"You can give me a gigai?" Komamura piped up.

"Ah, yes." The man instantly composed himself as the cat scurried to wrap around his shoulders. "Would you be interested in accompanying me to my shop, captain?"

-ooo-

The next day, Ichigo woke up and went downstairs as usual, wondering if everything last night had been a nightmare. Then he saw the missing chunks of wall in their kitchen and the construction crews outside the front door and started to reconsider.

His father, cheerful as always despite being swathed in bandages, announced that a truck had crashed into their house last night. Not seeing any proof otherwise, Ichigo accepted the explanation and went to school. Classes were uneventful, and Ichigo had accepted his nightmare theory until he stepped outside the school gates.

There was a commotion with a group of students surrounding something by the door. Ichigo was about to walk by, when they all gave a cry and walked towards  _him._ Or, more specifically, they all followed the creature that made its way to Ichigo's side and tugged on his pants with a set of nice sharp teeth. Slowly, Ichigo looked down to see a large brown dog staring at him with bright yellow eyes.

"Uh…"

"Kurosaki-kun, your dog's so cute! He came to pick you up!" a girl squealed.

"I don't have a dog," Ichigo replied.

"Huh? But the name tag…"

' _Name tag?'_ Frowning, Ichigo looked closer, and noticed a sign hanging around the dog's neck:

_**Ichigo Kurosaki:** _

__

_**We Need To Talk.** _

__

_**-Komamura** _

His expression instantly darkened.  _'No. Freaking. Way.'_

xxx

"…why are you a dog?"

"Would you rather have a nine-foot-tall giant following you around?"

"Crap, so last night wasn't a dream…"

"…."

"No _way_  am I taking your job."

"You took my powers. With that comes great responsibility."

"The heck—"

"Also, that little boy just got eaten because of you."

"WHAT?!"

"Now go purify the Hollow so his soul can rest in peace."

"How do I even fight like this?!"

"Give me your hand."

"Eh?"

_**CHOMP.** _

The next second, Ichigo was standing in shinigami uniform, gaping at his lifeless body.

"Good boy. Go hunt that monster down."

xxx

"Ichi-nii! You're ba—what the— _is that a dog?_ " Karin's voice rose as Ichigo stepped across the threshold.

"Yeah—wait, what?" Ichigo spun around to see Komamura calmly sitting on the entrance mat.  _'What the—I swear I lost him two blocks ago!'_

"Nii-san brought a doggy?" Yuzu's voice called out from the kitchen, before she appeared before the trio.

"It's not what you think," Ichigo explained hastily. "He just followed me home—"

"So cute!" Yuzu squealed, handing Ichigo her spatula and running to Komamura's side. "Does he have a name?"

"Let's make one up!" Karin suggested, joining her sister.

"Hey wait, don't go just petting strange animals—"

"What about 'Sergei'? It has a noble ring to it."

"What? No, that's not tough enough! You should call him something cooler, like 'Fangs' or 'Reaper'!"

"That's terrible! I don't want our dog to be a violent killer!"

"Who says we're keeping him?!" Ichigo burst out, earning the ire of both his sisters.

"But…he followed you home." Yuzu said, as if this explained everything, while Karin snorted and told Ichigo he was supposed to "take responsibility" for these kind of things. And then Isshin arrived, and the sisters turned their pleading eyes on him.

"Can we keep him, daddy?"

"I promise I'll walk him everyday!"

"And I'll feed him! And brush his hair, and give him baths!"

Isshin took one look at his daughters' faces and beamed. "OH! MY BELOVED MASAKI! OUR CHILDREN HAVE FOUND THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY IN RESCUING A SCRUFFY STREET DOG! AS A DOTING AND LOVING FATHER, OF COURSE I WILL LET THE POOR MONGREL STAY!"

"Sweet!"

"Yay! I love you, daddy!"

xxx

"Why does he have to sleep in  _my_ room?"

"My son, being the eldest means responsibilities! You must look after those younger than you, including this dog!"

' _Komamura's got to be 10 times older than I am!'_ Ichigo fumed."Look, why can't we just keep him in the kitchen?"

His father fixed him with a flat stare. "Because the new walls won't come in until tomorrow. Now suck it up and take it like a man!"

xxx

"So…are all shinigami like you?"

"No. The rest of them are human."

"Oh. So then, uh…"

" _I_ am a werewolf."

"Oh. I see—huh? Did you say  _werewolf_?"

"Yes."

"Those things are real?!"

"I would rather you don't refer to me as a  _'thing'_ , young Kurosaki."

"Eh? Oh, right, sorry."

"…."

"…so are there any vampires in Soul Society?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"That's a relief."

"Soul Society is for the dead. Vampires can't enter because they're immortal."

"Oh."  _Pause._  "Wait, so you're saying that vampires  _exist?!_ "

-ooo-

After making sure that Orihime and Tatsuki were all right, Ichigo started walking towards his house, Komamura trotting at his heels. The boy was unusually subdued tonight.

"I thought Hollows were all just monsters."

"They are."

"But that one was Inoue's brother!"

"No, Kurosaki. Not until the end."

"What do you mean? We saw his face behind the mask!"

"When we give into our despair, hate, and anger, we give up our humanity. Can a creature ruled by mere instinct and desires be considered truly 'human', Kurosaki?"

"…."

"Do not worry. Sora Inoue's soul has been purified. He will find peace in the afterlife."

"That place…Soul Society, right?" Ichigo's eyes lowered. "What's it like over there, anyways?"

"It is…"

Komamura briefly closed his eyes, remembering the ravages of the Rukongai, his struggles for acceptance amongst the humans, enduring ridicule and prejudice from his peers. His long, painful journey to be a shinigami, before acceptance in the eyes of the Captain Commander.

"It is not perfect," Komamura said quietly. "Yet for many souls, it is enough. You are never hungry, or thirsty. But you must learn to survive nonetheless."

"Huh. I thought heaven was better than that."

"Soul Society is not heaven. It is more like a waiting room where souls gather before passing on to their next reincarnation."

"Che. Even the shinigami?"

"Yes. We may have lived for hundreds or thousands of years. We may have powers beyond that of humans. But in the end, we are  _not_ gods." Komamura said. "And one day, we too will die to join the cycle of rebirth."

Ichigo frowned. "You make it sound downright depressing."

"Shinigami are soldiers. Our lives are seldom easy." Komamura said, and thought of the Gotei 13's long and bloody history, its fights for dominance and its current captains. An eclectic mix of characters, each with personal shortcomings, some more pronounced than others. His eyes narrowed as his voice took on a growl.

"Remember this, Kurosaki Ichigo."

There were two things that stood out in Komamura's memories. One was the stench of blood on Kenpachi Zaraki's robes  _before_  he killed the previous captain of the 11th. The other was the maniacal glee in Mayrui Kurotsuchi's eyes when he approached Komamura to ask for  _"just a sample of blood, for some standard observations"._

"There are shinigami and there are Hollows. Both can be monsters, with or without a mask."

-ooo-

"I brought a cockatiel," Chad said during lunch. Keigo sputtered, looking between the bird in the cage and the dog lying by Ichigo's side.

"When did our school roof turn into a zoo?" he muttered to Mizuiro.

"Oh, it's been that way for a while now," Mizuiro replied, tapping on his phone. "Ever since you tried to date Kunieda-san and she called you an unrefined monkey."

Amidst Keigo's sputters, the cockatiel spoke. "Hello, mister!" it chirruped, cocking a head in Ichigo's direction.

"It can talk?!" Keigo said.

"Yes," Chad replied. "It—"

"—that's hardly anything special."

Silence. Ichigo choked on his juice box as all eyes turned to the dog by his side. It was Keigo who spoke first.

"OH MY GOD! THE DOG TALKED! DID YOU HEAR THAT, GUYS? IT  _TALKED! IS IT POSSESSED OR—"_

_**Flash!** _

Keigo blinked, rubbing his eyes. "Huh, what was I saying again? I thought—"

_**FLASHFLASHFLASH!** _

One round of blinding flashes later, all of Ichigo's friends were staring at each other in confusion, while the orange-haired boy was eyeing daggers at his companion. Komamura gave Ichigo an innocent look as he hid the memory modifier beneath his paws and went to sleep. Ichigo suppressed a growl and turned away.

"So Chad, what were you saying about that bird?"

-ooo-

"We need to find better places to hide my body." Ichigo said after sneaking out of an ambulance for the third time that month. "This is getting ridiculous. People keep thinking I'm dead because you can't drag me into alleyways fast enough."

"Actually, I have a better idea," Komamura replied.

xxx

"That was a  _terrible_ idea!" Ichigo shouted at the hapless lion plushie. "What were you  _thinking,_ trying to  _grope_ my friends?!"

"I wasn't hurting anyone!" Kon whined, flailing his arms. "And anyways— _oomph!_ " He scrabbled madly under the weight of Komamura's paw. "Ow! Lemme go, you vile beast!"

"Please, young Kurosaki, allow me."

"What d'ya think you're doin—AHH! Not the face! Stop licking my face!" Kon squirmed wildly before Komamura promptly bit him on the head.

"Silence, mod soul. You will behave."

"That HURTS! You monster! I— _rgghmerresash!_ "

Ichigo watched on with horrified fascination as Komamura calmly chewed Kon out. Literally.

"You may want to ask your sister to wash my new chew toy after this."

"Right…"

"Like heck I'm your toy! I—"

"Say any more, and I'll bite off your legs."

"…yes, Monster-sama…"

_**CHOMP.** _

"WAAHHHH! I meant Komamura-sama!"

-ooo-

As the girl—Ichigo's classmate, Tatsuki—walked away, Komamura padded to the boy's side and laid a furry head in his lap, gazing at the riverbank.

"You did well, young Kurosaki."

A few minutes passed before Ichigo spoke.

"…she was my mother."

"Then she would have been proud."

No reply. Moments later, something wet splashed against Komamura's nose and he frowned, wondering if it was raining—

—but then he felt the subtle shaking of the boy's shoulders and stayed still when a pair of arms wrapped around him in silence.

xxx

The same night, Komamura waited for Ichigo to fall asleep before trotting to Isshin Kurosaki's door. He pushed it open with his nose and walked in without fanfare, a serious glint in his eyes.

"Eh? Ah, Sergei-kun!" the eldest Kurosaki grinned and reached down to scratch his ears. "You're up late tonight! Hungry, boy?"

"You can drop the act, Isshin Shiba."

The fingers scratching his fur froze in surprise. Komamura leaped onto the doctor's desk so that they were see eye-to-eye, and poked his snout in the man's face.

"Twenty years ago, a Soul Society captain left for patrol in the human world and never came back. Nineteen years and three months ago, Isshin Kurosaki opened the doors to the Kurosaki Clinic for the first time."

_Silence._

"My name is Sajin Komamura, captain of the 7th division."

"…does Ichigo know?"

"I have told him nothing. And I will keep my silence, if you give me a good enough reason."

xxx

"You're an honorable man, Captain Komamura."

"And you're a foolish one. Faking your death over a human girl?"

"We were in love!"

"You decided that in one night after meeting her?"

"Auuugh! Don't insult the woman who bore my children!"

xxx

"You're not going to report this to Soul Society?"

"Does anyone else know?"

 _Pause._ "No. No one that shouldn't, at any rate."

"I see. Then I won't."

"Huh. Central 46 won't like that."

"I'm off-duty. You can tell your son to report you, since he's my temporary replacement."

"…Next time I get the chance, I'm treating you out for drinks."

xxx

"You know, with all this shinigami business going on, I should probably tell you more about that friend of mine."

"Which one?"

"Ryuken."

"The Quincy?"

"Yeah. See, he has a son…"

-ooo-

"I believe, young Kurosaki, it is time I teach you how to use your zanpakuto."

"Huh? But I thought we already went over that. Hack and slash, right?"

"Kurosaki, zanpakutos are more than just swords."

"I'm not following…"

"Tell me, have you ever heard voices speaking in your head?"

xxx

' _Che, all right, let's try this.'_ Ichigo closed his eyes and concentrated hard.

' _Heeeellloo? Anyone there?'_

'… _..'_

' _Yeah, I thought so. This is completely—'_

' _ **So you have finally begun to speak to me, Ichigo.'**_

'…'

'… _holy crap.'_

-ooo-

"This," Ishida smirked as he held up the round white biscuit. "Is Hollow bait. It's filled with compressed reiatsu collected from humans. If I crush it—"

_**CHOMP.** _

While a hapless Quincy tried to shake a large furry dog off his leg, Ichigo kicked his arm and Kon expertly caught the bait that dropped from his numb fingers with his paws.

"You—it— _what do you think you're doing?_ " Ishida hissed with a glare.

"Idiot," Ichigo growled, as Kon crept carefully onto his back. "If you want to settle a score, don't drag in innocent people. We can play your stupid game  _outside_ Karakura Town."

Ishida sneered. "Afraid you won't be able to beat me, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo snorted. "Hardly. But let me tell you one thing—" His eyes narrowed. "I've got a dad and two sisters living in this town, and while my old man's an idiot— _I won't forgive you if my sisters get hurt, pride of the Quincy be damned."_

"Bravo!" Kon suddenly cried, bursting into applause. "Now  _that's_ what I call a speech!" Unfortunately, he was still holding the Hollow bait.

_**Crumble.** _

Its remnants settled as a fine white powder on Ichigo's shoulder before holes started ripping out of the skies around them. Kon looked suitably abashed.

"Uh…oops?"

Ichigo gave Kon a death glare before turning back to his classmate.

"My threat still stands, Ishida."

The Quincy just readied his bow. "If you're strong enough, they  _won't_ get hurt, Kurosaki." And then he let an arrow fly, shattering the mask of a Hollow behind his classmate, at the same time Komamura spat out a kido spell towards another targeting Ishida and Ichigo swallowed the pill to exit his human body.

xxx

"Sergei-kun?" Orihime blinked in wonder as the large brown dog stood up after she'd healed his wounds.

"What did you do?"

Orihime didn't even blink when he spoke. "I don't know. The words just came to me and…well, things started glowing!"

' _Another human developed powers…'_ Komamura mused, before rushing to cushion the girl as she tottered and fell over in a dead faint.

-ooo-

"The one who took your sensei was most likely Mayuri Kurotsuchi, captain of the 12th."

Ishida opened and closed his mouth like a fish as he stared at Komamura.

"When I return to Soul Society, I will file an official report to look into the matter. At the very least, I can try to recover his body."

"What…you…why…"

"Not all shinigami are the same, idiot," Ichigo scoffed, bopping Ishida on the head. "It's stupid to lump them all in one category."

Ishida bristled. "But that's what they did when they killed all the Quincy!"

"So what, you're gonna be just like them now? I thought you were smart, but you're just a bookworm, huh?"

Ishida glared at Ichigo and stormed away, but not before Komamura caught the considering gaze thrown in his direction. He chalked it up as a win.

-ooo-

"Once you learn your zanpakuto's name, a bond will be formed between it and you."

"Isn't this  _your_ sword, though?"

"Yes, but you're channeling  _your_ spiritual power through it." Komamura rubbed his nose. "A very significant level too, may I add. Since it's your power, it comes from your soul—logically speaking, you should be more than capable of gaining your own zanpakuto spirit."

"That's great and all, but why do I need one? I'm only doing this temporarily, right? I won't use any of this once you get your powers back."

"Think of it as a guarantee. When I'm not around, you'll be able to protect yourself and those you care about."

"Che. Planning to leave already?"

"Not yet. Now, try the meditation exercise I taught you last week."

xxx

' _So, uh…what's your name, zanpakuto spirit?'_

' _ **I've told you before.'**_

' _Yeah, but I didn't hear anything!'_

' _ **T**_ _ **hen perhaps you are not ready.'**_

' _Well, how do I_ _ **get**_ _ready? Komamura's not gonna stop bothering me 'til I get this down!'_

'… _ **that is not my concern.'**_

' _A little help for the other half of your soul would be appreciated!'_

'… _ **'**_

' _Uh…please?'_

' _ **...like quicksilver/the eternal blade that hangs in the heavens…'**_

' _Poetry? Seriously?!'_

' _ **I who look upon all/who hides from all/unseeing and all-seeing/un-seen yet seen…'**_

' _Aw, come_ on _!'_

' _ **You**_ **said** _ **you wanted my help.'**_

-ooo-

"Komamura!" Ichigo shouted, catching up to the trio in the moonlight. "Wait! Where are you going?"

The brown dog paused in his steps, shooting a glance at his escorts. "A moment, if you please, Tousen?"

Tousen remained standing with his back turned, but indicated to Shuuhei to sheathe his zanpakuto before speaking. "I will give you that."

"Thank you, my friend." Komamura bowed his head.

"Hey! What's going—" Ichigo gasped as the dog barreled into him with a flying tackle, knocking him harshly to the ground. Komamura stood on his chest, fangs bared and amber eyes glowing in the dark.

"Why are you here, boy? I  _told_ you to stay behind!"

"You left without explaining anything!"

"I wrote a note!"

"It was in ancient Japanese! I couldn't read a word!"

Komamura paused at that, before growling. "You shouldn't have come."

"Just tell me what's going on!"

"You don't need to know."

"Like hell—"

"Are you the one that stole Captain Komamura's powers?" a new voice cut in.

Komamura swiveled to look behind him. "Tousen…"

"Time is pressing, Komamura. I cannot keep Soul Society waiting if justice is to be served." Tousen took a few steps forward, unseeing eyes focused in Ichigo's direction. "Well, human?"

"He  _lent_ them to me. Temporarily," Ichigo said suspiciously. "For an emergency."

"And he broke the law while he did it," Tousen continued. "For that, we must bring him back to stand trial for his crimes."

"He was trying to save lives!" Ichigo insisted, struggling to get up under Komamura's weight. "How's that a crime?!"

"If everyone had excuses to break the laws, then there would be no point to their existence," Tousen challenged. "Don't you agree, Komamura?"

"That's bull—"

"Captain Tousen is correct, Kurosaki," Komamura said slowly. "Shinigami are soldiers. We  _must_ uphold the law."

"What? No!" Ichigo shouted. "We all would have  _died—"_

"Then you all  _should_ have died that night, human," Tousen said harshly. "Instead, Captain Komamura is taking your place. Be grateful you still have your worthless life."

"Taking my—what?" Ichigo's blood chilled as he strained to see his mentor. "What does he mean, Komamura?"

Reluctantly, the dog met his eyes. "Boy…no,  _Ichigo._ "A paw reached out and fondly patted Ichigo's head. "I am glad—and proud—that we had the chance to work together. You performed your duties as worthily as any seated officer."

"Komamura—" Ichigo tried to get up, but the paw pressed firmly against his forehead, forcing him back down.

"Live your life with honor and pride. You will grow up to be a fine young man."

"I don't understand—"

"Allow me to explain," Tousen interrupted. "While Captain Komamura will stand trial, his fate has already been decided by Central 46. He will face execution for his crimes."

"Remember what I told you, Ichigo," Komamura said smoothly. "All souls will enter the cycle of rebirth one day."

"Central 46 has decreed his execution be performed via the Sokyoku. It will completely destroy his soul, making reincarnation impossible."

"Tousen!..." Komamura said sharply, but the dark-skinned shinigami remained impassive.

"You are only coddling him if you hide the facts, Komamura," his friend replied. "He will learn the truth sooner or later."

"There was no need!"

"We have wasted enough time," Tousen said by means of an explanation. "Justice must be served."

Komamura was about to argue, but felt himself flung to the side and gave a startled cry. "Ichigo, no!"

But the boy was already charging at Tousen, sword drawn and face twisted in anger—

_**Clang.** _

Tousen stood impassively as Shuuhei blocked the blow.

"Let me handle him, captain," the lieutenant said quietly.

"Very well."

xxx

"Isn't he your friend?!" Ichigo shouted hoarsely as he bled out from the ground. "Why aren't you helping him?"

"That is none of your concern," Tousen replied, "Shuuhei, your injuries?"

"I'll be fine, captain," the lieutenant replied, breathing heavily as he flicked excess blood from his blades.

"Good. Open the Senkaimon, I'll finish this."

"Don't kill him, Tousen," Komamura spoke gruffly from the side. "He's just a boy."

"I always take the path of least bloodshed, Komamura."

Ichigo snarled and forced his shaking body onto his feet, but Tousen had already raised his sword.

"Cry, Suzumushi."

He was unconscious before he even hit the ground.


	2. part the second

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dude, just saw this story on TVTrope's Bleach Fanfic Recs page, which is pretty cool, considering that's where I go to find good Bleach fanfiction. XD Thanks for the rec, Gemini24!  
> Anyways, chapter one moved along at a pretty zippy pace. I'll slow things down when we move into the meatier points of the plot because—oh yes—things are going to change now, thanks to one certain doggy. Muahaha.
> 
> -ooo-
> 
> WARNING: Scene breaks, spoilers, plot skipping, crack…yeah, you get the point. Also, lots of people talking about lots of things to set up the plot for more things… XP

When Ichigo woke up, he was lying on a strange bed in a strange room, and a man wearing a bucket hat was peering at him with a strange grin.

"Gahhh!" Ichigo sprang up, narrowly missing Urahara's nose.

"My, my! So energetic, Ichigo-kun!" the shopkeeper tsked. "It looks like your injuries are healing up nicely."

xxx

"So you see, that man sealed away the shinigami powers that Captain Komamura gave you," Urahara continued, "But you're capable of awakening your own…"

' ** _I am already awake.'_**

Ichigo blinked when his zanpakuto spoke, but the shopkeeper kept talking. So he shrugged and replied. "Sounds good, when do we start?"

"After school, of course."

"Eh?"

"There's still one day before summer vacation, young man," and now Urahara was wagging a finger, "Go to class."

"What? No, they're going to execute—"

"Not overnight they're not. And you should do something about your family, before they worry."

"Oh." Ichigo's shoulders slumped. "Yeah."

-ooo-

After school, Ichigo walked out the gates of Karakura High with a stormy expression, wondering if Urahara was trying to play a sick joke. No one had noticed that Komamura was gone. Even Keigo, who liked to feed the captain his extra scraps at lunch, hadn't mentioned him even once. It was like…

…he'd never existed in the first place. If Ishida hadn't been constantly staring at the spot where Komamura usually sat, Ichigo would have started doubting his sanity.

"Kurosaki-kun." Orihime called after him.

He stiffened, but forced himself to sound natural as he turned back. "Yeah, Inoue?"

"Is Sergei-kun okay?"

Ichigo's mouth went dry as his heart skipped a beat. "What?"

Orihime was frowning, her hands twisted behind her back. "I was wondering, because he usually shows up for lunch…he's not sick, right?"

He swallowed. "You remember him?"

"Well, of course!" Orihime blinked, smiling brightly. "The two of you are always together! Do you know he can talk, too? Though…" Her smiled faded to a frown. "It's weird how no one mentioned him today. I thought Kojima-san would say something, since he's always saying Sergei-kun's smarter than Asano-san…" She trailed off.

"What's happened to him, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Inoue…"

xxx

Orihime pursed her lips softly as she watched Ichigo walk away.

' _He's going to help Sergei—no, Komamura-kun, huh?'_ She debated for a minute before nodding as she came to a decision.

' _All right, I'll help him too! And tell Sado-san!'_

xxx

"Daddy, why do we have a dog dish in the kitchen?" Yuzu asked.

"Well, I'm not sure, Yuzu," Isshin replied, scratching his head. "Maybe one of the patients left it?"

"But it has our name on it!" the girl insisted, holding it up in her hand. "Look—Sergei Fangs Kurosaki!"

Karin wrinkled her nose. "That's weird. I'd name my dog Fangs, but not _Sergei._ "

"Why not? I think Sergei is a wonderful name!"

"It's not tough enough," Karin said, crossing her arms. "Right, onii-san?"

Ichigo said nothing as he took the dish from Yuzu and stared at it.

"Ichi-nii?" Yuzu asked. "Should we put it in the Lost and Found?"

Ichigo gave her lopsided grin and ruffled her hair. "Nah, I think I'll hold on to this for a while." And he turned to walk upstairs, ignoring Yuzu's worried look and Karin's frown, as Isshin rushed to reassure them that their brother was perfectly fine.

"Shut up, Goat-face! Anyone can tell he wasn't really smiling! He's miserable!"

"Well, Karin, you know how teenagers get when it's that time of month—"

**_WHUMP!_ **

"Ack, my shin!"

"He's _not_ a _girl_ , Goat-face!"

"OH, MASAKI! MY DAUGHTER HAS A KICK THAT RIVALS THE STRENGTH OF A HUNDRED MEN—"

**_WHACK! THWACK! THUMP!_ **

"D-daddy?! Karin, stop kicking him!"

-ooo-

Soul Society was aflame with the latest gossip.

"Did you hear the news? They're going to execute Captain Komamura!"

"I thought that was just a rumor!"

"Can you even _kill_ a captain?"

"They're using the Captain Commander's bankai. I doubt anything could survive _that._ "

Rukia's grip tightened on her stack of papers as she walked through the halls of the 13th Division. Captain Ukitake was feeling much better now, but she had gotten used to the little errands and tasks that the Third Seats had foisted on her during his sickness. And now hearing this…

' _I should have refused his offer,'_ she thought to herself, recalling the kind captain's insistence at patrolling in her place. _'Whatever happened over there, he doesn't deserve to die! This is all my fault…'_

"…and anyways, someone got a peek when they brought him in and apparently he's a dog!"

"What?"

"That's not true! They say he's a werewolf!"

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah, I overheard someone in the Twelfth say it! Man, Eleventh was trying for _ages_ to unmask him. Now everyone knows what he is."

"Huh. Think they'll let us watch the execution?"

The temperature suddenly dropped a few degrees as Rukia's reiatsu rose. Her shoulders were shaking. Who _cared_ what Captain Komamura looked like? These gossiping idiots had no idea what kind of person he was, and they were just treating his imminent death like some sort of entertainment?

"Rukia."

The cold scattered as a firm hand placed itself on her shoulders, and Rukia looked up to see her captain's features twisted in a frown.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"C-Captain Ukitake!" she sputtered, nearly dropping her papers. "I'm sorry, I—" She immediately shut her mouth, collected her thoughts, and bowed deeply. "Yes, captain, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

Rukia nodded furiously. "I was just getting ready to deliver our reports to the Fourth. I'll be on my way now, sir."

"Very well, I won't detain you."

As Rukia scurried off, Ukitake spoke one last time, almost soft enough to be unheard.

"He's an honorable man, Rukia. No matter what the others say."

Rukia paused only long enough to lower her chin and hug the stack of reports to her chest.

' _I'm glad you think so too, captain.'_

xxx

Komamura stood in the prison cell, looking out through a slit window at the view beyond. It wasn't very interesting—nothing but an endless field that surrounded the Sokyoku greeted his tired eyes. Still, there was certain serenity in staring at its symmetry and letting his thoughts drift where they willed: to his earliest days at the Academy, to his impending death, to the night he returned to Soul Society.

Komamura had arrived with Tousen and Shuuhei under cover of darkness—a fact for which he was grateful, for it hid him from most prying eyes. After getting out of his gigai (which was impounded as 'research material and evidence' by a gleeful Science Department), Komamura had found himself face to face with the Captain Commander himself. Standing before his ancient mentor without his usual helmet on, Komamura felt oddly exposed. Neither could he bring himself to speak around the angry disappointment he saw in Yamamoto's eyes. In the end, it was Tousen who answered all of Yamamoto's questions and confirmed Central 46's final decision before escorting Komamura to his cell.

"Sir?"

A voice shook Komamura out of his thoughts and he turned around to see a prison guard.

"You have a visitor," the guard spoke.

"Who is it?" Komamura asked.

In response, the guard motioned to his right, and Tetsuzaemon Iba appeared.

"Captain…" the Seventh Division lieutenant began, his voice strained. " _Kuso!_ So it's really you…" He trailed off, glancing at the guard.

"Twenty minutes," the latter nodded curtly before walking out of sight.

In one swift motion, Komamura moved to the bars of his cell. "How did you get in, lieutenant?" Central 46 had forbidden him any visitors below captain rank.

"I got permission from Captain Tousen," Iba admitted.

"I see…" Komamura paused. "How is everything?"

"Yes, captain." Iba instantly straightened. "The new recruits we got last month are settling in well. Sixth Division's been assigned to oversee us and ensures that the paperwork goes through smoothly. As for the officers…well, we all miss you, captain."

"Tell them not to," Komamura chided gently. "They should be focusing on their duties instead."

"Even Goro's(2) lost two pounds, sir."

At the mention of his pet dog, Komamura's brows settled into a frown. "How are his eating habits?"

"We've tried feeding him everything, sir. But he always eats better when you're around."

"Scratch behind his ears when he finishes," Komamura muttered. "And then tickle him under his chin. He likes to be praised."

"Yes, sir!" Iba nodded furiously as he filed away the tip.

xxx

They spent their time catching up with the latest news and sharing information, until they got to the topic of Komamura's mission in the Living World.

"What's past is past," Komamura said firmly when Iba started cursing out the circumstances that left his captain in this mess. "I have no regrets."

"But captain—"

"More importantly—" Komamura raised his voice until Iba fell silent. "One day, Soul Society will see the arrival of that boy."

"The Kurosaki kid?" Iba asked.

"Yes. With his talent, it won't be long before he catches the attention of Seireitei." Komamura paused. "If he chooses to enter our ranks…I want you to look after him."

"Captain, you've only met him for a month," Iba replied skeptically. "Is he really that impressive?"

"He may be a bit rash at times, but I believe his heart is in the right place," Komamura said. "He would do well in the Seventh. Or any other division he chooses to join."

Noting the faint smile on Komamura's face, Iba just nodded. "I'll find him when the time comes, sir."

"Good. That puts me at ease." And then the smile faded as Komamura sharpened his gaze. "Lieutenant Iba."

Sensing something else was at hand, Iba unconsciously stood at attention.

"I must ask you to pass on my thanks to Captain Tousen. And also…"

"Yes, captain?"

"There is no need to call me by that title anymore."

"But I—"

"You will serve a new captain soon," Komamura went on. "When that time comes, I want you to help them uphold the honor and pride of our division. Do better than I did."

"I don't—but that—" Iba sputtered. "You've upheld the values of the Seventh better than anyone else, sir!"

"Lieutenant." Shaking his head, the werewolf shinigami turned away. "Return to your duties. You've wasted enough time today."

"Captain Komamura! Sir!" Iba stepped forward and gripped the prison bars. " _Kuso!_ You can't mean that!"

"I wish you success in your future," Komamura replied, back still turned. "So please…"

"…don't come here again."

-ooo-

In the depths of Urahara's basement, Ichigo found himself in a bit of a bind. Literally.

"You have 72 hours. Good luck!" Urahara shouted cheerfully from the rim of the Shattered Shaft.

Muttering, the bruised and bound Ichigo lifted his head from the ground and strained his head to shoot a death glare at the shopkeeper. _'Crazy bastard,'_ he thought murderously, before slumping and closing his eyes.

'… _Hey, you there?'_

' ** _I'm always here, Ichigo.'_**

' _All right. Let's talk.'_

The next thing Ichigo knew, there was a _tugging_ sensation in the pit of his stomach and he was being _pulled_ down and _in_ —

xxx

"Welcome, Ichigo."

Ichigo blinked. He was sitting on a skyscraper in the middle of a city. Far above were blue skies dotted with clouds, and standing from a flagpole some ten feet away from him was a mysterious figure in a hooded black coat.(1)

"Zanpakuto spirit?" he guessed. The figure nodded, its features hidden beneath the hood. "Why're you standing sideways?"

"The better question would be, why aren't you falling off?"

"Huh?" Ichigo looked down, and realized that he was sitting on the _side_ of a skyscraper—which was physically impossible, so—

"GYAAAAHHHHH!"

—he fell off.

xxx

Thirty feet down, Ichigo's hands wrapped around a flagpole that stopped his fall with a lurch.

' _Okay, don't panic, I'm still alive…'_ He absolutely _refused_ to look at the bottomless pit beneath him, focusing instead on the building he was hanging from.

' _If I can work my way to the windows, I can try to get inside.'_ His hands started shuffling across the pole towards the building. Unfortunately, his zanpakuto spirit landed on the same flagpole when Ichigo was halfway across.

"Clever, but unacceptable, Ichigo."

"What the hell?" Ichigo strained to look up, only seeing a pair of black boots. _'I just avoided falling to my death and that's all you can say?!'_

"A shinigami does not fear death,"the spirit replied serenely. "You are human, and thus still do."

"Are you gonna help or stand there talking all day?"

"Oh, I will _help_ you."

Ichigo didn't like that tone. A moment later, his suspicions were confirmed as the figure trod on his fingers, causing them to loosen reflexively. Ichigo growled and tightened his grip.

"What are you doing?!"

The boots never stopped treading on his knuckles. "Helping."

A particular nasty stomp forced Ichigo's left hand to lose its hold. He dangled precariously by one arm for a few seconds before gripping the flagpole again.

"Are you crazy? You call _this_ helping?"

"No," the spirit admitted. "I don't seem to be making much progress."

_'As if I'd let you!'_ Ichigo fumed, and used one hand to grab the figure's ankle. _There!_ Now, if he could pull himself up—

**_Shiiinnng!_ **

—there was a flash of steel and a movement too fast for Ichigo to see as the spirit _sliced_ through the flagpole with a sword—

' _You have_ got _to be kiddin—'_ Ichigo's thoughts broke off as the metal beam disconnected from the building, sending _both_ of them careening down into infinity. "GYAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"Much better."

xxx

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?"

"I am doing my utmost to help you."

"I DON'T SEE HOW THIS HELPS!" Ichigo snapped, even as he fumbled to grab a hanging ribbon from another box while falling backwards through an endless sky.

xxx

"Hey boss," Jinta said, "That punk hasn't moved for the past half hour. That normal?"

"Who knows?" Urahara hummed thoughtfully.

"Think he fainted or somethin'?" Jinta asked. "I could kick him awake."

"Let us wait," Tessai suggested, "He still has more than two days left, after all."

They observed as more links in the chain underwent Enroachment and an unconscious Ichigo didn't even twitch in response. Jinta rolled his eyes. "Geez, he's so _boring_! Let's go back to the shop. I'm _starving!_ "

"A dinner break sounds wise," Tessai agreed. "Kurosaki-san won't be needing our help for some time yet."

"…very well," Urahara agreed reluctantly, following his shop employees back to the ladder leading upstairs. It _was_ unusual that Ichigo was virtually unresponsive, but the boy's soul was still intact by all accounts. They could afford to let him be for now.

xxx

"Find my sword, Ichigo, or you _will_ die."

Ichigo just snarled as he focused on sensing the red spirit ribbon, symbol of a _shinigami_ —there! His eyes snapped open as his fingers reached out, brushing against a strip of red dangling from a box just within his reach—

xxx

"I brought the snacks," Ururu announced as she wheeled in a trolley of food to the living room after dinner.

"Ah, thank you, Ururu-chan!" Urahara smiled and patted her head, making the girl blush in pleasure.

"Finally!" Jinta crowed, grabbing a bag of popcorn. "Hey, did you get the DVDs, too?" In response, Ururu held up a series of discs.

" _Cazh Soul,_ Seasons 1 through 3," Ururu said solemnly. "As well as behind-the-scenes footage from Don Kanonji's special episode in Karakura Town."

"Whoa! How'd you get _that?"_

"I stole it off the camera crew after Kurosaki-san defeated the Hollow."

"Play it first!"

xxx

**_BOOM!_ **

"Ahehe, the explosions look more impressive on video," Urahara remarked, watching the side of the hospital collapse in a cloud of dust.

"Is Captain Komamura _spitting_ a kido spell from his mouth?" Tessai squinted, one hand on his glasses. "And only using a shortened incantation. Very impressive, indeed."

Far, far below them, Ichigo's reiatsu spiked at the same time another explosion rocked the TV screen, showing the hospital collapsing entirely.

"Oh! Looks like the Hollow escaped off-screen!"

"Is that Kurosaki's arm sticking out from the rubble? That orange patch looks like his hair…"

"Who cares? Pass the popcorn already!"

xxx

The boxes were gone. The air was still. And a breathless Ichigo, dressed in shinigami robes, stood in midair with sword in hand and a murderous expression on his face. Not more than fifteen away, perched at the tip of a flagpole jutting out from a sideways skyscraper, was his zanpakuto spirit.

"Congratulations, Ichigo,"the spirit said with a mock bow.

"What the _heck_ did you do?" Ichigo growled, aiming his weapon at the hooded figure.

"Nothing. It was all you."

"What, like that crap with the falling boxes and collapsing buildings—"

"I may hold some fault for that,"the spirit admitted. "The Inner World is a highly malleable environment. What you experienced was a worst case scenario—what would happen to your psyche if your mind shattered, or your soul was destroyed."

"Like I said before," Ichigo scowled. "What the _heck?_ Were you trying to kill me?"

"Shinigami are beings who surpass human limits,"the spirit replied. "Certain motivation was required to push you past yours."

"So, let me get this straight. You tricked me into thinking I was going to die, just so I could find a way to cheat death and become a shinigami."

"Quite right. It was the best option."The spirit frowned. "If we hadn't established contact, Enroachment would have forced you to undergo Hollowfication. Even if you survived, there's no telling what damage it could have done."

"What's the worst that could have happened?" Ichigo asked seriously.

"I'm uncertain. You could have died. Or turned into a Hollow. Any number of things, none of them good."

Silence _._ Then Ichigo cursed under his breath.

"Okay, that's it. _Urahara_ is dead."

"I believe he's been dead for quite a while."

"Then we'll kick his sorry arse back to Soul Society," Ichigo smirked. "What's your name, anyways?"

"…I'll tell you after you land a cut on me."

Ichigo sighed. "Does everything need to be a challenge?"

"You need the practice," the spirit retorted, materializing a small sword in his hands. Ichigo glanced at it, before looking at his own blade—a monstrous Khyber knife that dwarfed his opponent's—and quirked a brow. The spirit ignored him, making a few experimental swings before blurring out of sight. The next moment a heel connected with Ichigo's jaw and sent him flying through the air. Flailing wildly, Ichigo managed to stop just before he crashed into a building, shooting a glare at his hooded opponent.

"Don't get distracted,"the spirit chided, standing in midair a few feet away ** _._** "I'm stronger than I look, you know."

"Che," Ichigo smeared a hand across his mouth, the rusty tang of blood on his tongue, and grinned in a way that was all teeth. "Bring it."

xxx

Hours later, Tessai walked in on a thoughtful Urahara sitting alone in the living room, surrounded by empty bowls and popcorn crumbs.

"I've put the children to bed," Tessai said. "The shop's locked up for the night as well."

"Good," Urahara replied from the sofa. His fingers tapped restlessly against his cane. "We should…check on our guest."

Tessai raised his eyebrows. "You felt something."

"The spike in reiatsu during the broadcast? Yes." Urahara's eyes were focused on a faraway corner of the room.

"The timing's far too early," Tessai frowned. "Perhaps it was a temporary fluctuation…"

"It wasn't." Urahara said. "Concentrate and you'll find that his levels are holding steady. I can sense him even from here."

Tessai paused, before sucking in a breath. "Incredible. The boy's reserves…" Then he frowned. "But the reiatsu spike happened hours ago. What's he been doing since then?"

Urahara rose to his feet. "Why don't we find out?"

-ooo-

A loud shout rang through the streets of Seireitei.

"YO, RENJI!"

The redhead bristled at the voice before hollering back. "That's 'Lieutenant Abarai'to you!"

"Relax, man," Ikkaku grinned as he clapped a hand on Renji's shoulders. "We've checked already—no shinigami within hearing distance, and none from the Sixth. You're clear."

Renji scowled, but lowered his shoulders with a relieved sigh.

"Geez, when d'you become such a wuss?" Ikkaku snorted. "You had a lot more guts back with us in the Eleventh."

"You don't understand," Renji said, paling. "Captain Kuchiki's a stickler for rules. He'd _kill_ me if I so much as step out of line and accidentally disgrace the Sixth."

Ikkaku snorted. " _That_ girly-haired captain—"

"Don't be so uncouth, Ikkaku," Yumichika chided. "Obviously, Renji wants to make a good impression. Captain Kuchiki is _her_ brother, after all."

"Doesn't give him the excuse to act like a spineless sissy," Ikkaku retorted, punching Renji in the shoulder. "Anyways, why're you always runnin' off to Seventh's barracks these days? Did'ya forget Rukia's in the Thirteenth? Or is there _someone else_ you like that we don't know about?"

" _No,_ you idiot!" Renji flushed despite himself. "It's 'cause our division's responsible for the Seventh while Captain Komamura's in prison!"

"I don't get that," Ikkaku frowned. "Wasn't Iba doing good enough as lieutenant?"

"That was before Central 46 passed Captain Komamura's execution orders," Renji said. "Head Captain Yamamoto wanted someone to take charge before we find a replacement. It was decided at a captain's meeting last week. Didn't you guys hear?"

Ikkaku shrugged as Yumichika explained, "Yachiru and the captain got bored afterwards and went to pick fights in Rukongai. We haven't seen them since."

"Figures," Renji scratched his head.

"Why's Sixth playing babysitter?" Ikkaku asked.

"Well, First, Second, and Fourth already have their own responsibilities," Renji said, ticking them off his fingers. "Thirteenth's still recovering from an illness, Eleventh's running off all the time, Tenth's is too young and inexperienced. Third is just… _creepy,_ and Twelfth might use 'em all for science experiments." He suppressed a shudder. Captain Kurotsuchi had been practically _giddy_ with the news of Komamura's true identity.

"Eighth's still got an older captain," Ikkaku observed.

"He's drunk half the time and always skipping paperwork," Renji muttered. "And Ninth would be awkward, since he's best friends with Seventh. Fifth was the favorite, actually, but he suggested Sixth 'cause of Captain Kuchiki's noble ties, or something."

"Makes sense," Yumichika nodded. "Iba's mother was lieutenant of the Seventh and from one of the minor noble clans."

"So what, you're some glorified messenger boy now?" Ikkaku asked, glancing at the stack of reports in Renji's arms. "Dang. Bein' promoted _really_ made a pansy outta ya."

"Shut up!"

"Lieutenant Abarai."

Renji froze, before turning around to meet the impressive figure of the Sixth Division captain. Behind him, two reiatsu signatures suddenly vanished as the Eleventh Division officers flash-stepped out of sight.

"C-captain Kuchiki! Sir!" Renji stood at attention, even as his mind seethed. _'Ikkaku and Yumichika, you traitors!'_

"If you are done socializing, come to my office," Byakuya said coldly. "Those reports in your hands were supposed to arrive half an hour ago."

"Yes, captain!" Renji saluted, even as he inwardly groaned. Since the Sixth's takeover of the Seventh, their paperwork had doubled. Byakuya had insisted reviewing the reports of _both_ divisions before the deadline next week, which meant they were probably going to pull an all-nighter. Again. _'Dang it, and I was gonna find Rukia after work today!'_

xxx

Chojiro Sasakibe paused before the door to the Captain Commander's office, wondering if he should go in. Restlessness had pervaded Yamamoto's usual silences after Captain Komamura's incarceration. Sasakibe could understand—Komamura was one of the younger captains, but his loyalty to the commander and the Gotei 13 was absolute. To be forced to lose such an officer a mere century after his promotion, by the whims of ancient laws approved by Yamamoto himself…

"Sasakibe," A voice from inside brought the lieutenant back to attention. "Stop loitering."

' _Of course, he would have sensed my reiatsu…'_

"If you're bringing tea, you should leave it before it gets cold."

"Yes, Eijisai-dono." Sasakibe answered, sliding open the wooden doors and entering.

He was greeted by the sight of the captain dressed in full haori, standing in the center of a traditional Japanese tearoom. The table and seat cushions, Sasakibe noted, were in their usual places, as were the ornamental scrolls and vases on the wall shelves. But the screen doors that looked out to the garden—which was rarely shut in summer, due to the heat—were closed today, and an oppressive weight hung over the entire room. Sasakibe carefully set down the tea things before moving towards them.

"Shall I open the view to the garden, Ejisai-dono?"

"Let it be." Yamamoto's reply was curt, his eyes fixed on a distant point near the ceiling.

Sasakibe's hands, which were reaching for the doorframe, lowered themselves to his sides again. "As you wish, Ejisai-dono. What about something to eat?" It was nearly lunchtime, but Sasakibe knew that Yamamoto hadn't touched his dinner last night, much less breakfast this morning.

"No need," Yamamoto said.

Sasakibe frowned. "With all due respect, captain—"

"A few meals won't be the end of me," Yamamoto replied gruffly.

"No, captain, but—"

"Leave me." A hand reached down and grabbed a cup. "I will drink your tea."

"…yes, Ejisai-dono," Sasakibe bowed and reluctantly left the room.

xxx

Once he left the Captain Commander, Sasakibe went to the gardens surrounding the First Division offices, where he heaved a long sigh.

"You're wearing quite the long face for a day like this."

Startled, Sasakibe turned towards the source of the voice, only to see a familiar figure lounging casually beneath a tree.

"Captain Kyoraku?"

"Afternoon, lieutenant," Kyoraku tipped his hat in greeting, a lazy smile on his lips.

"Are you here to see the Captain Commander?"

"No, no! Rather…" Kyoraku cheerfully shook his head as he pulled out an expensive looking bottle of wine from the folds of his cape. "Care to join me for some port, Lieutenant Sasakibe?"

xxx

"Tell me, lieutenant, what do you know about fine wines?" Sasakibe asked as he lazily swirled the liquid in his cup.

"A fair amount," Sasakibe admitted, sipping from his own glass. "Though I prefer tea, I did my share of wine tasting when I visited England."

"Those Westerners have a strange love affair with grapes," Kyoraku commented, pursing his lips at the taste of his drink. "Eh. Nothing but sugar and sparkles. I'd take a bottle of sake any day!"

"But this is very good port, sir," Sasakibe observed, glancing the bottle. "Vintage brewed from the 19th century! It's rare that you can find bottles of these in the Living World nowadays, much less Soul Society."

"Is that so? I had one of my officers pick up a few of these from a mission recently."

"Incredible!" Sasakibe muttered in admiration. "I thank you for giving me the chance to share in your spoils."

"But of course. Drink up, drink up! _What worth there be in wine/O crimson liquid divine/If not shared between men/As brothers or_ —stop, I need a pen!" Kyoraku thrust his cup into Sasakibe's hands and started digging furiously through his pockets. "I should put this down in case I write another novel!"

"I have one," Sasakibe offered, taking out a fountain pen.

"My thanks, lieutenant!" Kyoraku's eyes brightened as he accepted it. "I shall dedicate my next book to you!"

"T-truly speaking, there's no need for that…" Sasakibe faltered. _'Considering that your last novel was a disaster…'_

xxx

After recording his genius and returning the pen, Kyoraku refilled his cup of wine and tapped it against Sasakibe's, who raised his eyebrows in question.

**_Clink!_ **

"A toast to a beautiful day, lieutenant." Kyoraku said, raising his glass so it caught the sunlight before taking a hearty swill.

"I suppose it _is_ one. If only Ejisai-dono could enjoy it too…" Sasakibe muttered, slowly sipping his drink and thus missing how Kyoraku's eyes suddenly sharpened their gaze.

"How is Yama-jii?" Kyoraku asked offhandedly.

Sasakibe shook his head. "Not so well. Captain Komamura's sentence troubles him, I know, but Eijisai-dono will not acknowledge the fact."

"It must be hard for him when Komamura's such a good officer," Kyoraku nodded sympathetically.

"Yes, Captain Komamura has never disappointed the Captain Commander," Sasakibe agreed, still sipping.

"He's always been one of Yama-jii's favorites, after you and Ukitake, of course."

"I'm sure Ejisai-dono treats all his protégés equally," Sasakibe said diplomatically. "He has always been a fair teacher."

"But strict," Kyoraku cut in. "Remember the time Ukitake and I tried to cut off his beard in his sleep?"

"I remember," Sasakibe chuckled. "You were strung up by your toes in a tree for three days!"

"And Ukitake just got off with a reprimand and extra training," Kyoraku said, shaking his head mournfully. "I told you he plays favorites."

"I'm sure Ejisai-dono knows what's best," Sasakibe said, shaking his head. "He's had more experience than any of us, after all."

' _I wonder about that…'_ Kyoraku thought to himself, and opened his mouth to speak when—

"CAPTAIN! _There_ you are!"

Both men looked up as Nanao Ise marched into view, eyes flashing behind her spectacles.

"Ah, Nanao, my sweet!" Kyoraku instantly brightened. "Care to join us for a pic—"

**_THWACK!_ **

Sasakibe winced as the heavy book in the female lieutenant's hands made contact with Kyoraku's unprotected face, knocking his hat clean off. Impressively enough, the captain still held a firm grip on his wineglass, keeping it from spilling onto the grass.

"Two hours. _TWO ENTIRE HOURS."_ Nanao snarled in a low voice. " _That's_ how long I've been trying to track you down!"

"My dear Nanao, I never knew you cared!" Kyoraku gushed, even as a trail of crimson started dripping from his nose. Alarmed, Sasakibe quickly took out his handkerchief and gave it to the captain, who dabbed at the blood with a goofy grin.

"You have papers to sign! We need to get back to the Eighth this instant!" Nanao paused for breath, glancing at Sasakibe in the process. "My apologies for my captain, Lieutenant Sasakibe. I didn't think he had the gall to hide in the _Frist Division_ of all places—"

"Do have a glass a wine, Nanao-chan!" Kyoraku offered his half-drained cup, to no avail.

"—and _drinking_ while on duty, I don't know _what_ you're thinking these days—" So speaking, Nanao half-dragged, half-led a giggling Kyoraku away by the collar, leaving a speechless Sasakibe with the bottle of port.

"Nanao, my sweet! I'm so happy to have you as my lieutenant!" Kyoraku cried out in a singsong voice. "You're always catching my mistakes!"

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, captain."

"I'm telling the truth!"

' _Lieutenant Nanao keeps Captain Kyoraku admirably in line,'_ Sasakibe mused as he shook his head. _'Ah, but isn't that the responsibility of a lieutenant? To tell his captain when he makes mistakes?'_

Slowly but surely, a small frown crept upon his features. _'Then what about my duty as Ejisai-dono's right hand man?'_

xxx

Ikkaku and Yumichika slowed down to a casual stroll by the time they were within sights of the 11th Division barracks.

"You think Renji will be all right?" Yumichika said.

"Eh, pansy's got a spine," Iba waved dismissively. "He'll be fine." His glance moved towards the division gates, and his brows furrowed at the sight of someone familiar. "What the…"

"Iba? The heck you're doing here?" Ikkaku snorted. Behind him, Yumichika sighed despairingly at his friend's complete lack of social graces as the Seventh Division lieutenant looked up expectantly.

"Ikkaku…" Iba paused. Then, to the pair's surprise, he fell to his knees before the shaven shinigami. "PLEASE TEACH ME BANKAI!"

"…the freak, dude." Ikkaku looked around frantically. "S-shut up! Do you want everyone to hear?"

Three minutes later, when the trio had safely flash-stepped into an abandoned alleyway, Ikkaku stopped to give Iba an once-over. Without his sunglasses, he could see dark circles under Iba's eyes and deep-set lines on a forehead framing a haggard face. The way he stood, listless and slumped over, looked like someone had just punched him in the gut.

"What's wrong with you?" Ikkaku finally spat out. "You look like Yachiru took ya on one of her 'playdates' in Rukongai! Ain't Renji's division helpin' ya out with work?"

"Captain Komamura's getting executed," Iba said dully.

"Well, yeah…" Ikkaku said. "We've heard about that."

"He wants me to forget about him," Iba said, heaving a long sigh.

"You've talked to him?" Yumichika piped up.

"Saw him earlier today," Iba said, waving a hand. "But that ain't important. Thing is, I _can't_ be lieutenant under another captain."

"Well, why the heck not?" Ikkaku demanded. When Iba stayed mute, he just snorted and looked to his partner for help. Yumichika took the hint and artfully tucked a piece of hair behind an ear.

"Iba." Yumichika spoke up. "As much as I hate to say it, you've worked hard to get to lieutenant, even if it's in some division outside the Eleventh. All those weeks staying up practicing those kidou spells, and extra training besides—no matter what others think, _we_ know you've earned your position, and we _know_ you can beat anyone in the Seventh who'll try to take it from you. If you doubt your skills—"

"Where's your Eleventh pride, ex-Fourth seat?" Ikkaku demanded. "You gonna give up now that your captain's leavin'?"

"It's not that." Iba cut in.

"Then what the hell's up?" Ikkaku burst out. "Why're you actin' all mopey? It's pathetic!"

"Tell me, Ikkaku," Iba suddenly grabbed his friend by the shoulders. "What do you think of Captain Komamura?"

"What do _I_ think?" Ikkaku shrugged and shook Iba off. "Who the heck _cares_ what _I_ think?"

"You're right, who cares?" Iba muttered, even as Ikkaku bristled at his reply.

"Hey, wait a sec—"

"But _I_ know what I think," Iba continued fiercely. "No matter who the Captain Commander chooses to replace him, I can't see myself as his lieutenant."

"Iba, man, you're sounding a little—"

"His honor and his ideals—the pride of the Seventh—how can I just trust them to a stranger after all these years?"

"Yeah, but you know—"

Iba ignored them both as he ranted on. "Hell! I ain't leaving our division to anyone else. I wanna follow the vision of our captain—and if that means getting bankai and becoming captain myself, I'LL DO IT!"

"That's—"

"IKKAKU!" There was a wild glint in Iba's eyes as he turned towards his friend. "I KNOW YOU HAVE BANKAI! SO PLEASE—"

**_PUNCH!_ **

"I _TOLD_ YOU TO SHUT UP ABOUT THAT—"

"Ikkaku." Yumichika put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Stop it."

"Dangit, Yumichika!" Ikkaku turned around. "You _know_ I want to keep it a secret!"

"Forget that. I think you cracked his skull."

The pair of them looked down, where Iba laid sprawled in pool of blood after Ikkaku punched him in the nose.

"…"

"Fourth Division?"

"Yeah, let's take him."

-ooo-

Blue skies and white clouds greeted Urahara and Tessai as they descended to the underground training area. Their footsteps crunched against the dirt as they made their way to the Shattered Shaft. Standing by the edge, Urahara peered into the darkness below. Moments later, he narrowed his eyes and shared a look with Tessai.

It was empty.

"He must be nearby," Tessai murmured. "I can sense his reiatsu."

Urahara nodded. "The question is, where—"

**_SLASH!_ **

The pair leaped in opposite directions as a sword struck the ground between them in a flurry of pebbles and dirt. Landing at a safe distance, Urahara raised his cane defensively against the pulsing, burning source of reiatsu hidden in the dust cloud.

"Quite an entrance, Ichigo-kun," the shopkeeper said mildly.

"You're pretty quick on your feet," Ichigo remarked, striding out in shinigami robes, a giant sword resting on his shoulder.

"Why thank you," Urahara smiled. "You're rather quick yourself. I wasn't expecting you to awaken your powers for—"

**_SHIINNNNG!_ **

The shopkeeper's eyebrows rose a few centimeters as he blocked Ichigo's slash with his own sword. "Now, now, Ichigo-kun. It's not polite to interrupt."

"Shut up," Ichigo hissed. "I'm paying you back for dumping me in a stupid pit."

"It was Tessai who did the actual dumping, if you remember," Urahara replied, still smiling. A forceful push sent Ichigo off-balance while Urahara leapt back to put some distance between them. _'Good, he's got a steady, strong spiritual pressure—now I wonder how long he can keep it up?'_

"Kisuke!" Tessai joined his side. "Is everything all right?"

"Things are perfectly fine," Urahara said, even as Ichigo shot him a glare. "We're two days ahead of schedule, thanks to Ichigo-kun's efforts. I assume you'd like to continue your training now?"

"If it means I can beat you up, then yeah." The redhead scowled.

"My, my, it sounds like someone has a grudge," Urahara's smile widened. "Very well. Why don't we start simple?" He tapped the handle of his cane to the side of his head. "Use your sword to knock this hat off my head. And if you can 'beat me up' in the process…well, I'll give you bonus points."

"I'm on it," Ichigo said as he put on a burst of speed and charged.

xxx

**_SMASH!_ **

_Cursing furiously, Ichigo struggled to dislodge his sword from the side of a skyscraper as his zanpakuto spirit chuckled humorlessly behind him._

" _Your sword is not an axe, Ichigo," the spirit chided. "So I suggest you stop trying to chop everything to pieces."_

" _Easy for you to say," Ichigo grumbled, still tugging. He was bleeding all over from small cuts and bruises—some from the fallout of his own attacks, most from his spirit's smaller but speedier blade._

" _In any case, I'm tired of waiting," the spirit replied, raising his sword. "Time's up."_

" _Shi—" Ichigo barely had time to release his sword and dodge as his zanpakuto spirit slashed the spot where he'd been standing moments before. Fortunately, the impact loosened the rubble trapping Ichigo's sword and he dove for it, grabbing the handle before it fell._

" _Power is meaningless if you can't use it properly," the spirit said. "You're too slow, Ichigo."_

_Ichigo blinked as the spirit flashed out of sight_ again, _straining his senses to find him—_

— _only to widen his eyes and fumble a block against the swipe at his throat._

**_Clang!_ **

_Metal struck metal, and Ichigo bit back a grunt as the force from the blades caused his arms to shudder. The spirit used their proximity to knock him back with a well-placed kick to the stomach. This time, Ichigo wasn't fast enough to stop himself from crashing into the side of a building. Cursing under his breath, the boy struggled to pull himself out of the rubble and leveled a glare at the spirit, who was watching him from a few feet away._

" _How long are you gonna keep kicking me for, you sadist?"_

" _As long as you keep letting me." A mocking grin greeted him. "Better learn to catch up, Ichigo."_

" _Isn't this my Inner World?" Ichigo asked, "How am I supposed to get faster when I'm not even using my body?"_

" _Since when did shinigami_ have _bodies?" the spirit replied, quirking an amused brow. "Intent is as good as action, unconscious or conscious. Your_ brain _needs to learn how to react first; your shinigami form will catch up afterwards."_

" _You're just messing with me."_

" _No, it's called mind over matter." And the spirit raised its sword for another strike. "Now, prepare yourself."_

**_Shwinnng!_ **

" _Not again you bas—"_

**_SLAAAASHH!_ **

xxx

' _He's doing a good job keeping up,'_ Urahara noted as he leaped from place to place, Ichigo at his heels. There was a _look_ in the boy's eyes that said he was _pushing_ himself to go faster by sheer will, in addition to the boost from flash-stepping.

"Hey, Geta-boshi(3)! When are you going to stop running away?" Ichigo shouted.

"Getting tired already, Ichigo-kun?" Urahara teased. "That sword of yours must be pretty heavy to carry around."

"Aren't you just scared of facing me properly in a fight?" Ichigo retorted. The next second, he sucked in a breath as Urahara suddenly appeared before him, cane poised to smack his head. Cursing, Ichigo leaned back and swerved to the side, but not before Urahara caught his collar and tossed him in the air. A falling Ichigo extended a palm to push off the ground and neatly back flipped to his feet, only to get blindsided by Urahara's cane in the ribs, sending him tumbling to the side.

"Tsk, tsk," Urahara shook his head. "Kids these days are so impatient."

In response, Ichigo got to his feet, readied his sword, and rushed towards Urahara—

—who neatly sidestepped and reached for Ichigo's left arm, only to catch air as the teen ducked and kicked back with the heel of his right foot—

—which Urahara blocked with his cane, just as Ichigo swiped upwards with his sword, forcing Urahara to release him as he jumped back to avoid the attack—

—recovering, Ichigo rolled forward before leaping into the air, sword raised to strike him—

' _Such elementary tactics,'_ Urahara sighed, and raised his cane above his head to block—

—until instinct had him suddenly swiping to the right, just in time to thwart Ichigo's surprise strike there instead.

' _But faster than I expected,'_ Urahara noted. _'Well now, this might be amusing…'_

xxx

**_FWOOSH!_ **

Ichigo cursed and beat his sleeve furiously until the flames died out. _'When did he start using kidou spells?'_

Growling, he readied himself for another charge when—

**_FWOOSHFWOOSHFWOOSH!_ **

Fireballs started peppering him from all sides. Ichigo dodged, coughing as smoke got into his eyes.

"DANGIT, GETA-BOSHI! STOP TRYING TO BARBEQUE ME!"

**_CRACKLECRACKLEZZZAAAAPPPP!_ **

Ichigo's hair stood up in erratic spikes from the errant electricity flying through the air. "I _thought_ I was supposed to get your stupid hat, not be target practice!"

"Don't be a spoilsport, Ichigo-kun!" Urahara called back. "Isn't this more fun?"

"YOU CRAZY—"

**_BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOOOOOOOOOOM!_ **

xxx

_Ichigo smirked as he suddenly appeared before the spirit, crossing swords. "Gotcha."_

" _Took you long enough to catch up," the spirit muttered, before jumping back a few buildings to wave at the air. Ichigo was about to follow when hundreds of very familiar boxes appeared in the skies to hang above them. "Now we can finally move on."_

" _Another scavenger hunt?" Ichigo snorted. "I already know shinigami have red spirit ribbons."_

" _Did you forget what they were attached to?" the spirit said, and snapped his fingers._

_Instantly, the bottom of the boxes opened—but instead of trailing ribbons, there descended hundreds of very sharp swords. Their edges glinted in the light as they hung in the air expectantly._

" _What're you playing at?" Ichigo frowned._

" _You're fast enough to dodge one opponent," the spirit said. "So what about five hundred?"_

_Brown eyes swiveled to meet blue ones. "You can't be serious."_

_The spirit just smiled grimly as he pointed the tip of his weapon at Ichigo, the other swords following his lead._

" _Look sharp, Ichigo."_

_And five hundred blades shot simultaneously towards one strawberry-blonde teen._

xxx

' _How interesting, he's dodging all my attacks,'_ Urahara hummed merrily as he cast kidou spells left and right, making Ichigo jump and dance like a sugar-high Kon on steroids. _'Looks like he's had practice from somewhere.'_ His other hand fiddled restlessly with Benihime, who was itching for a fight.

"I know, my dear, you'll have your turn soon," Urahara murmured. "Just let me get in one last laugh." Slowly but subtly, he directed the flow of his spells to move Ichigo around like a video game character.

' _A little more to the left…then a bit towards the back…hmm, if I aim for his arms and legs, it'll get him there faster…'_

He watched with amusement as an unknowing Ichigo inched closer and closer to the Shattered Shaft until— _there!—_ sharp eyes caught the sight of a heel wobbling as it stepped over the edge.

"Shi—" Ichigo cursed, just as Urahara gleefully aimed for his ankle with a well-timed Hado #4: _Byakurai_ (4). "—gyyaAAAHHH!"

The teen flailed wildly as he fell backwards—only to be rescued by Urahara, who grabbed his wrist and hauled him up (and then ducked the incoming punch at his face).

"I'm glad to see you're giving in to your training so _wholeheartedly,_ Ichigo." Urahara said.

"Will you _stop_ toying with me?" Ichigo growled, panting.

"Now, now, it's only fair I get an assessment of your skills before we fight man-to-man," Urahara said with a straight face. "But I'm more than satisfied now, so let's start." He raised his walking stick and Ichigo stiffened, as the atmosphere suddenly grew oppressive. The shopkeeper shot him an amused grin before tugging on one end of the cane to reveal a long, sharp blade hidden within the casing. Instinctively, Ichigo took a step back—remembered that he was still next to a gaping hole—and jumped instead to the other side, putting the hole as a buffer between them.

"Don't be so nervous," Urahara said. "It's just a sword."

Ichigo twitched. "Yeah, well…I happen to have a thing against swords."

"Really now?" Urahara quirked a brow. _'I'd like to hear the story behind that someday.'_ "That's a shame. Benihime was so looking forward to meeting you."

"Benny who?" Ichigo asked, at the same time Urahara released his shikai with a terrific energy blast.

-ooo-

Within Soul Society, there were plenty of jobs that nobody liked to do but _someone_ had to. Case in point: cleaning the sewers, which had somehow fallen onto the members of the Fourth Division over the last few hundred years. But, as Hanatarou Yamada saw it, things weren't all bad. You only had to do it once every other month because the Fourth cleaned in teams, and once you got the hang of things the job went pretty quickly. In fact, if he had to admit it, a part of Hanatarou actually _enjoyed_ the process a teeny bit since nobody ( _read: those terribly violent 11th division officers that liked snatching medics off the streets to treat their injuries_ ) would go down there without a good reason. Working in the sewers was kind of like a paid vacation, just…darker and without all the beaches.

Despite his lot in life, Hanatarou tried to be an optimistic kind of guy.

' _All right, I've done all the inspections and cleaned most of the corners,'_ Hanatarou thought as he scanned his report. _'There's still some areas underneath the high-number divisions but I can get to them next week.'_ He neatly arranged the files and started walking just as a familiar reiatsu signature reached his senses. Rounding a corner, Hanatarou automatically reached out and took half a stack of papers from a petite shinigami.

"Oh!"

"More reports, Miss Rukia?" Hanatarou smiled pleasantly as the 13th Division officer blinked and registered his appearance.

"Hanatarou-san! How did you find me again?"

"You've been coming to the Fourth every other day for a month," Hanatarou explained. "I've learned to recognize your reiatsu signature."

"I see…that's pretty impressive!" Rukia said in honest admiration. "How can you tell with so many people around?"

"It's a necessity in my line of work," Hanatarou said simply as they started to walk down the halls side by side. _'Well, more like a survival instinct.'_ If he hadn't learned early on how to move far, _far_ out of the way of drunken 11th Division members, he'd be death warmed over fifty times by now. "And also, Miss Rukia's signature is very unique."

"Really? How so?" Rukia asked, eyes brightening.

"Ah, well…" Hanatarou flushed despite himself. "It's very clear and crisp, like a breath of cold air."

"That's…"

"Very refreshing on hot days like these," Hanatarou babbled on in a nervous rush. "Your zanpakuto must be water or ice-based, correct?"

"Yes," Rukia replied, startled. "You got all that just from reading my reiatsu signature?"

"I-it was a lucky guess," Hanatarou admitted.

"But still, that's quite amazing!" Rukia's eyes shone even as Hanatarou quickly coughed to cover up his nervousness.

xxx

"Ah, Kuchiki-san. Here with Captain Ukitake's health reports again?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Isane—as well as some general reports from the 13th" Rukia said, dropping her stack of papers on the desk, Hanatarou close behind.

"You got help from Hanatarou again, I see," Isane smiled.

"It was on the way," Hanatarou protested mildly as he held up his sewer-cleaning report. "I had some paperwork to turn in as well."

"Hanatarou-san has been very helpful this entire month," Rukia said, freely offering her praise. "I am very grateful for his assistance."

"He's quite the gentleman, isn't he?" Isane whispered at Rukia before turning to the Fourth Division shinigami. "By the way, I think you left something here yesterday."

"Huh? Oh, that's—" Hanatarou had the grace to look abashed when Isane reached below the desk and took out a blue-handled kantana. "Sorry for the trouble." He took Hisagomaru and tied the sheath somewhat awkwardly to his belt.

"No need," Isane waved it off cheerily. "Just look after it more carefully, all right?"

xxx

"Is that your zanpakuto?" Rukia asked curiously as they left the desk.

"Ah, yes," Hanatarou admitted sheepishly. "I don't usually need it, so I end up leaving it behind most of the time…" Mostly because his job centered on healing and cleaning, rather than actual combat. Hisagomaru wasn't the best of weapons for a fight anyways.

"I see," Rukia nodded. _'What a fearless person.'_ Growing up in the wastes of Rukongai, she knew from experience that it took guts to walk around the streets without a weapon. Seireitei was much better, of course, but rarely were there officers who had the confidence to just leave their weapons lying around. They _were_ a military organization at heart, after all. Hanatarou didn't seem like the absent-minded type, so Rukia chalked his behavior up to sheer guts. _'I should learn from his example, and be more confident!'_

' _She must think I'm pretty pathetic, huh?'_ Hanatarou sighed internally as he glanced at Rukia, who looked deep in thought. _'I can't even keep track of my own zanpakuto. Well, there's no helping the facts, though I wish she didn't have to find out…'_

"How is Captain Ukitake doing?" he asked her then, more to break the silence than anything else.

"Much better now, thank you. Captain Unohana said he should be in the clear by the end of this week."

"That's good to hear…so you won't have to carry around all these reports anymore, right?"

"Yes, today will probably be the last time I come to the Fourth. I will be resuming my normal duties and patrols afterwards."

"I see," Hanatarou felt a small twinge of regret at that, but quickly snuffed it. Rukia was pretty, kind, and talented…and also way, _way_ out of his league. He saw the gates of the division coming up and went ahead to open the doors for her.

"Thank you again," Rukia smiled as she stepped through. "For this, and everything else this month."

"It's my duty as an officer of the Fourth," Hanatarou replied honestly. "Take care, Miss Rukia."

"You as well, Hanatarou-san," Rukia nodded, just as a shout cut through the air.

"HEY! WE NEED A MEDIC OVER HERE!"

Startled, the pair turned to see three people heading towards them at full speed. One guy was bald, and carrying another guy on his back, while the third was running by his side and sported a ridiculously long purple eyelash over his right eye.

' _Ah, I've seen those 11th Division officers before,'_ Hanatarou blinked in recognition. _'They're good friends with that other guy…the redheaded lieutenant who likes Miss Rukia…'_ To his surprise, the trio skidded to a stop before him, and Eyelashes regarded him with an imperial sniff.

"You're from the Fourth, aren't you?" the girly-looking guy spoke. "We need help for our friend."

' _Then you should bring him_ **into** _the hospital!'_ Hanatarou silently protested, but Baldy had already set his load on the ground, earning a surprised cry from Rukia.

"This is…Lieutenant Iba, from the Seventh!" she said, kneeling by his side. "What happened?"

"Eh…" Baldy scratched his head.

"Sparring injury," Eyelashes said smoothly, before directly his attention back to Hanatarou. "Fix him, please."

"Well, I—" Hanatarou began.

"It's his skull," Baldy said as he grabbed Hanatarou's shoulder with a bloodstained hand and steered him to the injured man. "Might've cracked it in a few places, couldn't tell with him bleedin' all over the place…"

Hanatarou's medical instincts kicked in as he resigned himself to an impromptu examination. Indeed, Iba's skull had been fractured, but more worrying was the lieutenant's pale, clammy complexion and shallow breathing.

"What? What is it, what's wrong?" Baldy asked impatiently. "Why're you frowning, shortie?"

"He's lost a lot a blood," Hanatarou said, forcing himself to keep his voice steady before the high spiritual pressures of the two seated officers. "Did anyone try to stop the bleeding?"

Eyelashes and Baldy glanced at each other, before the latter shook his head. "Hell, no. We figured we'd bring him here first."

That complicated matters. An open wound was like a hole in the side of an inflated balloon—leave it too long and the balloon would collapse.

"You can do something, right, Hanatarou-san?" Rukia asked worriedly by his side.

"We'll need a blood transfusion as soon as possible(5)," Hanatarou replied. "But before that, I have to close the wound." He had all the necessary equipment in his medical kit, but considering Iba's condition, he preferred something more straightforward. Thus, Hanatarou reached to his side and unsheathed Hisagomaru.

"The _hell_ you doin' with that sword?!" Baldy leaned forward and Eyelashes drew his zanpakuto, only to be cut off by Hanatarou's curt reply.

"Please stand back, shinigami-san. I'm a professional." There was no time to waste. He had to do this _now._

And with one swift motion, Hanatarou slashed at Iba's head.

xxx

Deep in the labs of the 12th Division, a certain head scientist turned away from the examination table to face one of his officers.

"Repeat that." Mayuri commanded.

Akon gulped as he gingerly set the papers on the cleanest edge of a bloodstained trolley. "Central 46 denied our division's request to examine the prisoner prior to execution, captain."

Silence. Akon swallowed as he took a step back, right as his captain exploded.

"Those _idiots!_ " Mayuri raged. "Can't they understand that they are wasting a potentially valuable _specimen?_ How many werewolves do you know have enough reiryoku to be captains? The knowledge I could gain from a sample of his DNA—from just his blood, alone!"

"I'm sorry, Captain Kurotsuchi," Akon bowed, edging towards the door. "I can try again—"

"Forget it," Mayuri snapped. "Those simpletons are obviously incapable of appreciating my genius."

"Yes, captain—"

"Get out of my sight!"

Akon ran out as fast as his legs could take him as Mayuri turned back, muttering.

"I won't lower myself to _ask for their permission_ anymore. Nemu!"

"Here, captain." His lieutenant emerged from the shadows.

"Clean up this mess and prepare my kit. We have a _visit_ to make."

"Yes, captain."

xxx

Despite a few hiccups in the plan, things had smoothed out in the end. In his office, Aizen drank a sip of Momo's tea and stared thoughtfully out the window at an unobstructed view of the Sokyoku. A soft smile rose to his lips.

Yes. Soon, all the pieces would fall into place, and he would make his next move…

' _I wonder how you'll try to stop me this time, Kisuke.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1)'…mysterious figure in a hooded black coat' – Nope, that's not old man Zangetsu attire. Here's where I decided to bend the rules. If you want to know my reasons, read the Explaining Zangetsu section after the author's notes on FF.net. ;)
> 
> (2) '…even Goro's lost two pounds' – Isn't it weird how Komamura has a pet dog? It's like…Hello Kitty and her pet cat. The mind boggles.
> 
> (3) 'Geta-Boshi' – Hat-and-Clogs. :)
> 
> (4) 'Hado #4: Byakurai' – From the many, many Bleach kidou encyclopedias online: Way of Destruction Spell #4: White Lightning. "The user fires a concentrated, powerful lightning bolt from their finger."
> 
> (5) '…need a blood transfusion…' – Uh, yeah, do shinigami have a blood bank? Does blood have a material existence after you're dead? I mean, shinigami can diefrom wounds, and they wear bandages when they're injured…so whatever! Let's just say they do and save me the headaches of Afterlife First Aid 101.
> 
> A/N: That's it, folks! Hope you enjoyed the show, and don't forget to take some leftover popcorn on the way out. Yeah, some scenes got skipped, others got dragged out—it all depended on what held my interest. One thing I love about Bleach is its wide case of characters. So many different people with such unique personalities! Everyone with their own POVs and ways of thinking! I basically gave 'em this story and everyone ran with it in different directions, so to chase them all down I had to write a monster of a chapter. It was supposed to be only around 5-6k words, but I wanted to fit in more stuff that happened before the Soul Society Infiltration started so this was the final result. (And, er, we still have a bit more to go before our ryoka invade but this looked like a good place to take a breather.) As you can see, there are a lot of loose threads at the moment but it'll all come together in the future and be (hopefully) logical and glorious and awesome. Did you have fun munching through all the text? Chew slowly so you can digest it better. ;)
> 
> Reviews are optional but appreciated. See ya next time! (Oh, and PM me if you take up Love Psycho's challenge, all right? I'd love to read other variations!)

**Author's Note:**

> Just for kicks, the full title of this story should be A Brash Outspoken Youth and His Destructive Oversoul Giant.'Cause you know, Ichigo's a hotheaded teenager and Komamura fights with the ghost of a giant samurai. Anyone who's seen Shaman King should notice some similarities. This was supposed to be a one-shot, but it ended up being too long, so I divided it into chapters instead.
> 
> Hope you like it so far! It sure was fun to write.


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